The United States has the largest network of energy pipelines in the world with approximately two and a half million miles of pipelines distributed across the continent. This network of pipelines is utilized to transport materials such as but not limited to crude oil and natural gas. The material disposed within the pipes is moved therethrough utilizing pumping stations so as to distribute to locations such as but not limited to ports and other facilities. Oil pipelines are typically manufactured from steel and/or plastic wherein natural gas pipelines are manufactured from carbon steel and are constructed to accommodate the pressurization of the natural gas or other similar gaseous fuels. Pipeline conveying flammable or explosive material such as but not limited to natural gas present various safety concerns. Routine operation of the pipeline must be carried out under strict safety protocols to prevent accidents such as but not limited to explosions or fires.
Routine pipeline or vessel maintenance is required for pipelines/vessels such as but not limited to natural gas pipelines/vessels. By way of example but not limitation, tasks such as filter replacements, equipment maintenance and pipeline pig launching/receiving require a portion of the pipeline to be emptied of its contents in order to facilitate the performance of the aforementioned activities. Presently, the two most common methods to discharge the contents of a portion of a pipeline are venting and flaring. In the former, the material such as but not limited to natural gas is vented to atmosphere. Flaring involves the release of the material to atmosphere and further igniting so as to burn the material during the release from the pipeline. Both venting and flaring bear significant safety and environmental risks. Less than whole-line depressurizations are performed daily as part of routine pipeline operation and maintenance. The aforementioned common practices of venting and flaring face significant regulatory pressure as the release of gases such as but not limited to methane have been identified as a major source of greenhouse gas. To perform the conventional operations of venting or flaring most states require permitting, which adds to the cost of operations and further requires additional time to acquire the permits.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fluid depressurization and transfer apparatus that is configured to facilitate the transfer of a fluid from a pipeline or vessel to another vessel or portion of a pipeline wherein no emission of the fluid occurs to atmosphere during the transfer process.